2/08/2012

Fashion Sleuth Challenge

I have a challenge to the sleuths. Find sources for the clothes Jason Wu
designed before he left the new crop of designers in charge. Did he copy or design?? Go back 5 or more years to the Fashion Royalty dolls
outfits.

There will always be similar parts of fashion from one item to another. But as you can see below, there is no mistaking where the dolls' outfits came from. That's what I want you to look for.

A fashion sleuth over at Dolly Daily, corvas, posted these images. The interpretations are amazingly similar. There's no doubt as to the source of the clothes for these dolls.

22 comments:

And the point of this exercise is what? Are you saying that this should not be happening even though this practice goes all the way back to vintage Barbie, when Charlotte Johnson and her team of designers copied Dior, Ballenciaga, Givenchy and the like for Barbie's vintage wardrobe? Are you saying you want to pay the prices that an original Jason Wu (or any designer for that matter) design would actually cost, even reduced to doll size? I can assure you it wouldn't be in the $100 - $175 range if we did. The idea is that these dolls wear clothing that reflects the trends of the day. I for one am glad that we do see these designs in miniature reproduced with the quality that Integrity puts into their products. I'm also a little bit more than annoyed at the insinuation that there is anything wrong with this practice. Move on people.

But clarus...if we move on who will be around to annoy you? Seriously, look again at what you're saying because it sounds to me as if you believe that no 'real' designer designs doll clothes. Jason started out designing dolls and fashion. I guess you haven't been collecting FR for very long.

Actually Terri I've been collecting FR since 2005 (and vintage Barbie before that) and I certainly believe that real designers design doll clothes. Jason may have started out as designing dolls but he is not Jason the Parsons student or up in coming designer any longer. "Jason Wu" is now an internationally known fashion brand and that carries with it a different status. In almost all cases the designs we get for dolls are drawn from what is happening in adult fashion broadly. As my example cited, this practice has long been the case, and, as I also stated, this is the reason why many of us collect fashion dolls. I'm not interested in getting the POV of one designer. I want the dolls to reflect what is happening in fashion now or in the case of lines like Poppy, Gene, and the upcoming Victoire Roux, what was characteristic of fashion in the past.

As for annoy, not really. Perplex and in some cases amuse -- definitely.

OMG Wile I find nothign wrong with coppying in from then runways to the dollways , Claurus I think you need to take that xanax now, you need it!!

Mauve Absolue was a Coppy, I cna't remember who was the designer, i want to say Muggler, Social call is Channel by Karl Lagerfeld, Fierce Subject, and all of those were all coppies of Galliano work...there were others but I forget!!

Terri, we did talk about that back then or at least I was aware that their work was not entirely original.True Royalty, FDQ Vanessa, Queen V they are all Coppies of differnt Dior (by galliano) collections...If I have time I'll dig thru my files at home and send you a few pics

Terri. I agree it is very interesting to find the inspiration behind the production of some of our favorite dolls. I consider all design work to be art and the ownership of the person who created it. In very strict terms, it is almost like plagiarism or forgery. HOWEVER, in fashion it is more like "imitation is the highest form of flattery". The minute a designer's work hits the runway, there are knock-off houses producing cheap copies for the general public. It may seem inappropriate, but as long as the knock-off isn't using the designer's name, logo, or brand trademark, it is fair game. I believe it is even more open-ended with the doll community. Unless a designer is creating his work in miniature for the collecting public, it really isn't affecting their monetary bottom line. Here is an awesome flickr site for MANY of Integrity's outfits:

For me the selling point of Fashion royalty wasn't that Jason Wu was the designer but the quality of the fashions and the attention to detail. Most of the early fashions were made from natural fibers and the details in that scale was unprecedented since maybe vintage Barbie.

Copying has existed in design probably going back to when caveman Bob copied caveman Freds fabulous deer painting on the cave wall.I just will never care enough what my plastic doll wears enough to spend hours of my life I can never get back googling old collections for that "I caught you you theiving bootlegger feeling" If I find a companys practices objectionable I just wont buy their stuff.I wonder why Integrity is constantly singled out as many other doll makers do this and noone says a peep.Metal corsets anyone?And suggesting someone with a different opinion is in need of Xanax is just tacky.We should remember we are talking about little peices of plastic no matter how much we love them.Sharon

I would like to know who sculpted the doll faces as much as anything. I remember when 2 of my doll friends were designing their own dolls. I have a prototype of one which was a gift.. The doll was popular in the Goth style market for several years, then I think there were production problems which forced the small co. out.

BUT, the point is, not only was the person known extensively for her doll couture, she had someone who as known for the repaints and things sculpt some of the original heads and bodies.

Maybe I'm the only one who would like to know who is giving every new doll extremely fierce faces now, but I would like to know.. Most sculptors have very interesting histories, just as the famous couturiers at the major fashion houses do. :)

I miss the tiny perfect fit details in IT clothes so much. Do you remember the clothing sets which had multiple types and colored shoes, purse and tote bag, maybe even a piece of luggage?Now, they are so " proud" in the webcast to discuss the very nondescript coffee cup one of the Audrey dolls holds. So very plain. In the movie, she had a white bakery bag with either a croissant or a cruller, and the coffee cup with a logo on it. They lost a lot when they lost Jason's attention to quality details, IMO.

I think that many of the sculpts are being done by a sculptor at the factory in China. It would be interesting to know for sure. Don't hold your breath.Of course I remember Le Petit Robe Noir and Blanc. I had both of them. I still have several of the purses. They were perfect. I may even have the black dress.

I LOVE seeing the fashion designs that the dolly clothes are inspired by. It never gets old for me. Viewing the above helps me understand better what they were going for in 1:6 scale. Makes me want to try to tweak some of the ones in my possession to attempt to make them look more like the "originals" -- and I mean by way of silhouette.

Copying has been going on for ages and it goes back and forth. Many years ago when I realized so many of the high end designers were actually copying street looks by many whom could never afford the designers' threads but were (and still do) oozing with creativity, it took me a long while to like that kind of fashion again (the high end kind), even though I am usually just a civilian observer of such expensive attire. It wasn't even just the copying, it was like the sheer extent of it that bugged me! The quantity of it. But I did come to realize that the copying does go back and forth.

Anyway, seeing some of the inspirations above makes me like some of these pieces even more. Keep it coming. (:

Oh, and if anyone's passing out those xanaxes, I'd love to partake. (:~ib

Cassandra...I don't see an issue there. If the artist has the concept and passes it to his team, that makes sense to me. It's not like they're all going around with a pin cushion and threaded needles. Salvador Dali designed incredible jewelry - he didn't make any of it.

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When I switched photo servers a year ago, many of my images were lost in a black hole. If you are going back in time throughout my blog, you will come across these black holes. It's unfortunate but it would take me a huge amount of time to identify and republish the images. If there is a specific one you are very interested in, email me with the date of the post and I will try to get it for you.Thanks for your continued interest in my blog!Terri